Fastener for wires



Jan. 16, 1962 LA VERGNE H. WILLIAMS 3, 7, 5

FASTENER FOR WIRES Filed July 10, 1959 INVENTOR. 1/7 VERGNE H. W/LL/AMS.

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Patented Jan. 16, 1962 3,017,205 FASTENER FOR wmas La Vergne H. Williams, Columbia, Conn, assignor to The Gunver Manufacturing Company, Manchester, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed July 10, 1959, Ser. No. 826,213 2 Claims. (Cl. 287-49) This invention relates to a fastener for wires, and more particularly to a fastener for securing together the Wires which support tobacco plants or netting.

Shade grown tobacco plants are generally supported under netting by a network of supporting wires which is erected on poles implanted in the ground at regular intervals around the perimeter of and within the planted area. Said network generally includes a series of spaced, parallel, main supporting wires and a series of spaced, parallel, secondary supporting wires which are laid on top of the main supporting wires and crosswise with respect thereto. The main and secondary supporting wires are fastened together at their points of intersecion to prevent excessive relative movement therebetween, and the tobacco plants are tied to the network of wires thus formed.

Heretofore, said supporting wires have been tied together at their points of intersection with string or cord, and it can be appreciated that this is a time consuming and tedious operation. Furthermore, it has been found that the string or cord is subject to rapid deterioration and breakage and is constantly in need of replacement.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a metal fastener for said wires which may be permanently affixed thereto and which is easy to apply.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a fastener for such wires which cannot be accidently dislodged therefrom by tractors or other vehicles working under the netting.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a fastener which is extremely novel in construction and yet is economical to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and from the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of my improved fastener applied to two intersecting supporting wires.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the manner in which said fastener is applied.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of said fastener in position on said wires.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the fastener of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bottom of said fastener.

FIG. 6 is a similar view further illustrating the application of the fastener to the wires.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, where I have shown a portion of a wire network commonly used to support tobacco plants or netting, the numeral 5 denotes one of the series of spaced, parallel, main supporting wires of said network, and the numeral 6 denotes one of the similar series of secondary supporting wires which extend perpendicular to and across the main wires 5. In general practice, the secondary wires 6 are of a smaller diameter than the wires 5 as shown.

The present invention provides a fastener 7 for securing said wires together at their poins of intersection. Said fastener is preferably constructed of stiff spring steel or the like and is formed with an elongated central portion 8 which is preferably semi-circular in cross-section to provide a channel 9 therein of substantially the same radius as and therefore of a size to receive the secondary wire 6. Coplanar wings 10-10 extend laterally from the opposite sides of said central portion 8, and

the opposite edge portions of said wings are bent downwardly and inwardly to provide opposed hooks 1111 on the underside of said fastener. The bight portions 11-a-11a of said hooks are formed about a common axis extending perpendicularly to and across the channel 9 intermediate its ends, whereby said hooks are adapted to receive the main supporting wire 5 as shown. In the manufacture of the fastener, a portion of each wing 10 extending inwardly along the central portion 8 is cut away, and the hooks 1111 are therefore shorter than respective wings to provide a space between their adjacent ends adapted to receive the wire 5 when the fastener is turned at an angle to said wire as best shown in FIG. 6.

A downwardly projecting detent in the form of a spur 12 is formed in each of the wings 10l0 in opposed, spaced relation to the bight portion of the respective hook 11. Said spurs are adapted to bite into the wire 5 to retain it within the hooks 11-11 and thereby securely retain the fastener on said wire as illustrated in FIG. 4.

In the application of said fastener to the wires 5 and 6, the portion of the secondary wire 6 which crosses the main supporting wire 5 is first twisted into angular relation thereto, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, and the fastener is then placed over said wires in a position wherein the Wire 6 is received in the channel 9 and the wings 1010 of the fastener rest upon the wire 5. The said fastener is then rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2 (clockwise in FIG. 6), so that the hooks 1111 will move into engagement with said wire 5 and seat against opposite sides thereof. As the fastener is forced onto the wire 5, the spurs 1212 will yield slightly and then move back toward their normal positions and bite into the wire 5 so that the fastener cannot be rotated in the opposite direction and dislodged from said wires.

In order to facilitate application of the fasteners to the wires, a suitable tool, not shown, may be used to force the fastener onto the wire 5.

I claim:

1. A fastener for fastening a pair of crossed wires in substantially perpendicular relation comprising: a member having a central portion containing a downwardly opening channel extending transversely thereof and adapted to receive one of said wires, coplanar wings extending laterally from the opposite sides of said central portion and having opposed inner edges extending transversely of said channel, a flange turned downwardly and inwardly from each of said edges and defining opposed hooks on the underside of said wings disposed on opposite sides of said channel, said hooks having bight portions lying in a common plane extending substantially perpendicular to said channel and adapted to receive the other of said wires, and a spur formed adjacent the mouth of each of said hooks, each of said spurs having an edge portion spaced from and opposed to the bight portion of its respective hook and engageable with the side of said other wire opposite said bight portion to retain said fastener thereon.

2. A fastener as set forth in claim 1 wherein said spurs are formed in said wings and extend downwardly towards the mouths of said hooks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 516,291 Aylworth et a1. Mar. 13, 1894 673,658 Lawler May 7, 1901 711,450 Wright Oct. 14, 1902 822,994 Shuflin et a1. June 12, 1906 2,542,375 Torresen Feb. 20, 1951 2,720,289 Henrickson Oct. 11, 1955 

